Dukes, David, 1945-2000

Versatile actor on stage, screen and television, David Coleman Dukes was born in San Francisco on June 6, 1945 and died on October 9, 2000 while on location near Tacoma, Washington to film a television miniseries.

Dukes' acting career began at the College of Marin and then the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, but he was soon crisscrossing the country appearing on Broadway and regional theater as well as on film and television. His Broadway debut was in a revival of Moliere's School for Wives in 1971. He received a Tony nomination for his work in Bent (1979) with Richard Gere, starred in Arthur Miller's Broken Glass (1994), and in a number of productions: Amadeus, M. Butterfly, Frankenstein and Dracula, successfully stepped into a starring role originated by another. His final stage role for which he won great critical acclaim was as Vladimir in Waiting for Godot at the Matrix Theatre Company in Hollywood in 2000. Film highlights included The First Deadly Sin (1981) with Frank Sinatra and the Oscar-winning Gods and Monsters (1998). Dukes received an Emmy nomination for best supporting actor for his work in The Josephine Baker Story (1990). Other television work included the miniseries The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, an appearance on All in the Family, and a regular part on Dawson's Creek . His career was busy and prolific: he played character roles and leading men, lovers and murderers and most everything in between.

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